sunny day sale

(ok, so I wrote this post this morning and totally forgot to publish it. DOH! Well, here it is..)

Sunny winter days are few and far between here in Vancouver, so I thought I'd have a random sale! 30% off everything in the shop as long as the sun keeps shining here (which is looking like probably just until tomorrow, then rain again..) 

I just added a few new pouches and still have more to add.

Happy shopping! :)

a laptop bag for L

A friend of mine commissioned me to make her a laptop bag for a 13" Macbook. I've never actually made a 'real' bag with inset pockets and cross-body straps etc, but I love a good crafty challenge so I happily agreed.

After searching patterns, I decided on this laptop bag pattern by Leah of Sew Spoiled. This pattern can be made as a simple laptop sleeve (for a laptop up to 17") but also comes with a few add-on options  like a front pocket for the power cord and/or mouse, a cross-body/shoulder strap and a short handles.

For this bag I added the front pocket and the cross-body strap (this strap actually is meant to be adjustable, but my local fabric and supply shop is rather lacking in hardware and so a tri-slide piece was not available to make this strap adjustable). For fabric, I used the same vintage textured cotton as these zippered pouches and the ever so awesome Dumb Dot in teal by Michael Miller for the lining and front pocket.

As with any new sewing project (especially when it's for someone else), I was pretty nervous working my way through this bag. Because of the thickness of the bag (it has a nice squishy layer of fusible fleece inside), I definitely didn't want to have to whip out the seam ripper to fix mistakes (stitches just seem to sink in and disappear in the thickness). Luckily, the instructions were clear and detailed with lots of pictures. The only time I got a bit confused was when it was time to install the front outer pocket. I've never done this before and was feeling a bit anxious. Leah from Sew Spoiled was super sweet in answering my questions and even directed me to a couple other tutorials on how to do this step. For those of you interested in adding a zippered or slip pocket to a bag/pouch, check out this and this. I found these tutorials to be really helpful.

Overall, I'm really happy with the pattern and how the bag turned out and now my brain is buzzing with all the other bags I could make with my zippy pocket/shoulder strap skills! 

Here you go L! I hope you (and your laptop) love it :)

xo mel

zippy pouch giveaway winners!

And the two winners of the Vintage Zippy Pouches are:

#2 - gyoza*girl said...
bribery is good. i just "liked" your link on FB and "follow" your blog! :)

#6 - gill said...

I love your zippered pouches! I really must master the art of zips!!

Summer has definitely gone in my part of the UK - the leaves are changing colour and the nights are really drawing in! Roll on Spring I say - my favourite season!

Congratulations and thanks for entering my giveaway! Head on over to the shop to pick one of the available pouches and email me at melissa@ohhellorabbit.com with your choice along with your mailing address.

ramblings, a GIVEAWAY and an end of summer sale..

(fyi, giveaway and sale info is right down at the very bottom of this rather drawn out post so if you don't care to read through my ramblings, just go ahead and scroll down to the bottom. I won't be offended :)

Hello friends! I had a super busy but very fun couple of days. On Sunday, I was back peddling my wares at the Blim Community Market, only this time, instead of in a back lane on a cool evening, it was right smack downtown in the afternoon of probably the hottest day of the year so far. We were lucky enough to have the shelter of a tent but even so, we were meeelting! But, it was still a great turnout and a fun time!

view from my booth

On Monday, it was all play and no work at the PNE Fair here in Vancouver. I love love LOVE this fair and I haven't been in a few years. So this time, I selfishly left the kiddos at home with the grandparents and went with friends. There are a few 'must dos' for me when visiting the PNE. 'Oooing and awwing' at the Superdogs show, watching live 'infomercials' at the marketplace, purchasing gadgets that you 'really hope will work but know that there is a 50% chance they will not' at the marketplace, eating a bag of those little donuts all warm and sugary, and playing a few of those silly and often impossible games at Playland. My favourites are Roll a Ball and Wac a Mole. Seriously, I LOVE Wac a Mole. I think it's quite possibly one of the most fun ways for a mama to release some stress!

 Me looking a little crazed with excitement! (and I won!)

Me in action but lost to the guy on my right :(

So in Vancouver, the PNE pretty much signifies the end of summer. It goes until Sept 5th and then, whattaya know, it's back to school for the kids, the air is significantly cooler and the leaves are falling from the trees. (actually, with our strange summer, the leave have already been falling off the trees for a while now..) So, even though I don't really want to admit that summer is coming to an end, it is. So I thought it might be fun to do a little giveaway and to have a bit of a sale in the shop.

First, the GIVEAWAY. I've been having a super fun time whipping up these little zippered pouches. They are made from a textured vintage cotton fabric and lined with really fun and colourful prints because, well, I love having little secret bursts of colour and fun prints! The zippers are a hint to what you'll find inside..

Would you like to win one of these? If so, then leave a comment on this post. Anything is fine, but if you're feeling chatting, you can tell me a bit about yourself, if you like the fall or if you're sad about summer ending.. OR, if you have a good 'knock-knock' joke cuz kiddo #1 is all over these and I'm running out of good ones to tell him. Contest closes on Sept 5th and TWO WINNERS will be picked by the good ol' random number generator. Winners can choose from any of the black or white rose pouches available. One comment per person please.

 BUT, you can get bonus entries if you
1) follow my blog
2) follow @ohhellorabbit on twitter
3) tweet about this giveaway mentioning @ohhellorabbit
4) 'like' this blog post Just realized I don't have a 'like' button so change that to 'share this post on Facebook'
Please leave a separate comment for each of these bonus entries. Yup, I know it's pretty much bribery, so if you're against that, then a simple comment below with some way for me to contact you will suffice.

Now, on to the sale..

From now until September 12th:
ALL CLOTHING in the shop will be 25% off (with a few items at 40% off!)
ALL POUCHES will be FREE SHIPPING (in North America only. Discounted shipping for International)
No coupon code required. Prices and shipping have already been adjusted. Now go on, have a look!

xo mel

zipper pouches

I've been busy making little zipper pouches for an upcoming outdoor market. I love having a classic (dare I even say 'classy'?) exterior with the vintage black and white rose fabric, and a punch of fun colour on the inside. The zipper is just a little hint of what you'll find inside :)